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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161125">the trees whispered your name in my ear</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quagswagging/pseuds/Quagswagging'>Quagswagging</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Formula 1 RPF, Formula 2 RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Falling In Love, Family Feels, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Magic, Multi, Nymphs &amp; Dryads</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:35:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,820</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161125</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quagswagging/pseuds/Quagswagging</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“Marcus.” he said, before pointing at the taller man. “Callum.” he added. The words sounded weird, and Mick once more shook his head before realising what they meant.</i>
</p><p>  <i>“Mick.” Mick muttered softly, pointing at himself. It wasn’t his official name, but he doubted the humans could imitate a blackbird on the first day of spring. Mick would have to do.</i></p><p>Or: Mick. a young forest nymph, can't help but fall in love with two humans.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Marcus Armstrong/Callum Ilott, Marcus Armstrong/Callum Ilott/Mick Schumacher, Mick Schumacher &amp; Sebastian Vettel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>138</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the trees whispered your name in my ear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Mentioned this idea before and I just couldn't let it go. I love nymph Mick, and nymph Seb, and there will most likely be more to this verse!</p><p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were pros and cons about living in a forest, Mick supposed. The pros were being in nature, having his freedom and taking care of what he loved most. </p><p>But the biggest con?</p><p>It was lonely at times. Lonely and quiet. </p><p>Being a forest nymph, Mick had always been taught to be wary of humans. Humans destroyed what the nymphs created, tearing down trees and building cities in areas that had once been vast nature.</p><p>But they were also intriguing.</p><p>Humans often moved in groups, like the Pack of wolves in Mick’s forest. They were social and touched each other often, and even though they looked so similar to nymphs they were not similar at all. It was a contradiction Mick did not understand, but he did want to learn about, and most of the days he found himself watching the humans making their way through his forest, following the tiny paths they had made to marvel at his nature.</p><p>It was oddly touching to see them appreciate his work.</p><p>It was during Spring that Mick saw two male humans running through the forest, not following the path and instead rushing to the meadow in the centre of the forest. Mick followed after them, curious about the happy noises they let out as they sprinted through the trees. He flinched and sped up when he heard one of the two let out a surprised cry, thinking there was something wrong and that one of them was in pain.</p><p>He found them in between the trees still, the taller of the two braced over the smaller, the two pressed close together with their mouths touching. Mick hid behind the tree closest to them, watching closely to make sure they weren’t hurt. They continued to lay over each other like this, mouths moving together in slow motions as the smaller male let out soft, happy noises.</p><p>Mick was so confused. </p><p>The nymph stepped out from between the trees, the sound of a branch snapping under his feet making the humans look up. The smaller rambled something while the taller just stared at him with wide eyes.</p><p>Mick chittered softly, brows furrowed in confusion as he regarded the two humans. The taller was still braced over the smaller, their heads close together although their mouths were no longer touching. </p><p>"What are you doing? Is he sick?" Mick asked, his voice the rustling of tree leaves. The humans didn't seem to understand him and were staring up at him with wide eyes. The taller eventually sat up, pushing the other human behind him before holding his hands out in a peaceful gesture.</p><p>"We're not here to hurt you." He said, but the words meant nothing to Mick, the harsh sounds of the language making the nymph flinch and press his hands to his ears. The taller noticed and let out a much softer, shushing sound, still knelt on the grass in front of him. Mick tentatively reached out, fingers pushing at the odd garment the man was wearing around his torso, a happy sound - much like the chirping of a bird - leaving him when he felt how soft it was. </p><p>Mick knelt down too, keeping a close eye on the human before continuing to inspect the clothing. The smaller human had hidden behind the first some more, nose pressed to the inside of the taller's neck. Mick heard him speak and still did not understand the sounds, but then frowned when the taller turned to press his lips against the other's.</p><p>"Why?" Mick tried to ask, pointing at his own lips with a questioning look before pressing his hands together. The humans exchanged a glance. </p><p>"Uhm.. it's a mating ritual?" The taller said, his voice barely above a whisper and Mick found the strange language was much more bearable like this. </p><p>But he still did not understand.</p><p>He shook his head, shuffling back slightly in distrust. The smaller now moved forward, smiling gently at Mick before shooting his companion a look.</p><p>"Mating ritual." He repeated, making a lewd gesture with his hands before thrusting his hips towards his companion. Mick wrinkled up his nose, confused by the moves but then hummed, pointing up to the tree branches behind him, where two birds were sitting close together near a nest. </p><p>"Yes, yes exactly!" The taller said, nodding eagerly once he was done glaring at his smaller friend. Mick hummed thoughtfully.</p><p>It was the strangest Mating ritual he had ever seen.</p><p>"What are you?" The smaller man asked, gesticulating heavily. Mick frowned a little, unsure how to explain if the humans did not understand his language. He chittered softly once more, touching a small daisy to his right and watching as it blossomed proudly under his fingers.</p><p>"Holy shit." The shorter man muttered. Mick cocked his head to the side.</p><p>" 'oly shit." He repeated quietly, the word feeling awkward on his tongue. The taller man laughed now, and the sound scared Mick again. The Nymph got up, looking at them with wide eyes before turning on his heel and rushing back into the foliage, hearing the humans call for him behind him.</p><p>Mick didn't stop running until he arrived at a small lake, right in the middle of his precious forest. He dropped down onto his knees, lightly touching his fingers to the cool surface before waiting as he tried to calm his ragged breathing. A head popped out from the water, large blue eyes regarding him before the being moved closer.</p><p>“Seb…” Mick whimpered pathetically. The water nymph’s name sounded like a strong current, like a waterfall rushing down a cliff’s edge. Sebastian waded to the edge of the lake, pushing himself out of the water. He was dressed in simple clothes, grey pants and a woollen grey shirt that were dry even though that seemed impossible. He was barefoot, like nymphs tended to be, and kept his toes dipped in the water as he sat down next to Mick.</p><p>“What is wrong.” Sebastian asked, touching Mick’s hand. Mick shook his head, pulling his legs up to his chest and tucking his chin down on top of them. He wasn’t sure if he should tell Sebastian about the humans, not when Seb’s history was far from perfect when it came to humans.</p><p>“I just feel alone.” Mick settled for saying. Sebastian sighed, turning towards Mick and placing a hand on his cheek. Mick let the water nymph pull him closer, placing his hand on Sebastian’s cheek in return just before their foreheads touched. A warmth went through Mick as they stayed close together like this, Sebastian’s aura wrapping around him like a warm blanket which Mick returned the best he could. It was one of the most intimate shows of affection, and Mick was still honoured that Sebastian trusted him enough for it. </p><p>“Tell me.” Sebastian said as they parted, and Mick knew he had been able to feel something was wrong. </p><p>“There were two humans in the forest today - young ones, I think.” Mick said. Sebastian tensed up.</p><p>“How old? Was it..?” he asked, but Mick shook his head with a sad smile.</p><p>“It wasn’t him, Seb. I’m sorry.” he murmured. The water nymph seemed to deflate, his scent turning from smelling like the first rain of summer to the saltiness of that of a sea. It was now Mick's turn to place his hand over Seb's. </p><p>"One day." Mick murmured, and while Sebastian smiled, it was a sad smile, one Mick could not heal.</p><p>"You stayed away from them, right? From the humans." Sebastian asked. Mick hesitated, but then honestly shook his head.</p><p>"They were doing something weird so I approached them to ask about it." Mick said, winching as a splash of cold water hit his face. </p><p>"I told you not to." Seb grumbled, sending another spray of water in Mick's direction. Mick wiped his face on his green sweater.</p><p>"They seemed harmless." He tried.</p><p>"Humans are anything but that." Seb replied quickly. Mick dropped his chin back on his knees.</p><p>"I talked to them… or at least tried to. Their language is weird." Mick murmured. Sebastian stared at him.</p><p>"I'm not teaching you." He hissed, slipping back into the water. Mick sighed.</p><p>"Seb…" he tried, but Sebastian shook his head.</p><p>"I can't." The water nymph said, backing away from Mick until he was out of the forest nymph’s reach. Mick still tried to get to him, but the moment his skin touched the water he flinched and backed off.</p><p>Sebastian was blocking him from getting closer to his territory.</p><p>“I’m old enough to make this decision. I’ve been part of this forest for centuries.” Mick said impatiently, retreating to a safe distance from the lake’s edge. Sebastian regarded him, only his eyes still above the water’s edge now.</p><p>And then, with a splash, Seb was gone.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>The next day, Mick was lounging in one of the large elk trees when he heard the humans run through his forest again. He was instantly on his feet, dropping back down to the ground and running towards the sound. A small part of him was scared, but he was mostly excited, wanting to see what they were doing.</p><p>He had to prove Sebastian wrong, he had to prove some humans were not as bad as the ones Sebastian had met.</p><p>The two humans had slowed down and were walking hand in hand when Mick reached them, the nymph staying hidden in the shadows of the trees but following along with them as they walked over the narrow path. They kept stopping or slowing down briefly to bring their lips together and while Mick still didn’t completely understand it seemed nice, and it sure made both humans smile a lot. </p><p>“What… called?” Mick asked, stepping out of the shadows and pointing at their lips. Humans crossed this part of the forest more often, and Mick had often heard these words from them when the humans had pointed at plants and animals. He really hoped it meant what he thought it meant. The taller man seemed startled at Mick’s arrival, but the smaller grinned widely.</p><p>“It’s you.” he said, stepping towards Mick before scrambling back when the nymph chittered and hunched in on himself. “It’s called kissing.” the small human said more softly, pressing up against the taller’s side and angling his head to look up at him. The taller hesitated, but then nodded, leaning in to brush their lips together in a light kiss. Mick watched on, head cocked to the side before touching his own lips with the pads of his fingers..</p><p>“It… Nice?” he asked. He had spent the remainder of yesterday following after humans to hear their speech, and he was picking up quite quickly.</p><p>“Yes it is.” the taller said with a nod. Mick furrowed his brows thoughtfully, sitting down on the forest floor and tucking his knees up to his chest. The smaller man instantly sat down too, pulling the taller with him, and smiled sheepishly at Mick.</p><p>“What is your name?” the taller asked. Mick shook his head, unsure what the man was asking. The smaller pointed at his own chest.</p><p>“Marcus.” he said, before pointing at the taller man. “Callum.” he added. The words sounded weird, and Mick once more shook his head before realising what they meant.</p><p>“Mick.” Mick muttered softly, pointing at himself. It wasn’t his official name, but he doubted the humans could imitate a blackbird on the first day of spring. Mick would have to do. </p><p>“Nice to meet you Mick.” Callum said with a smile, holding out his hand. MIck hummed, touching his fingertips to the human’s before flinching as both Marcus and Callum chuckled.</p><p>“You can shake his hand, like this.” Marcus said, taking Callum’s hand in his and shaking it twice. Callum instantly turned to Mick again and held out his hand once more. This time, Mick reached out and curled his hand around Callum’s, shaking it.</p><p>“Nice to meet you.” he murmured softly, the words feeling awkward. Callum still seemed to understand him, because he smiled and nodded.</p><p>“Nice to meet you too.” </p><p>~~~~</p><p>From then on, Mick started seeing Marcus and Callum more often, some weeks even seeing them every single day. The two humans seemed to seek out his forest on purpose, sometimes even calling his name even though Mick was near them the moment they entered his territory. </p><p>Callum was the calmer one out of the two, always taking his time talking slowly to Mick, while Marcus often got overly excited and just pointed at stuff he wanted Mick to notice. Even through their different approaches, Mick could never pick a favourite. He wouldn’t admit it, especially not to Sebastian, but the humans were important to him and Mick had started to look forward to seeing them. The days they didn’t visit always made Mick anxious, but they always returned, even when it was raining or cold, and Mick felt touched they’d do so for him.</p><p>He hoped they’d never stop visiting. </p><p>“What is this?” Mick asked, pointing out a word in the book Callum was reading to him. The human was settled cross-legged on a light blue cloth in the meadow at the centre of the forest, eating grapes between sentences while Mick sat peering at the book over his shoulder.</p><p>“It says ‘love’.” Callum said, pointed out the different letters as he spoke so Mick knew what letter belonged to what sound.</p><p>“What is love?” Mick asked. The word felt nice, like a warm blanket. Marcus, who sat a little further away from them making a flower crown from daisies, hummed, a soft, tender look playing on his face.</p><p>“Callum and I are in love. It means we want to be together and care for each other.” Marcus said. Mick perked up.</p><p>“I love both of you.” he said, nodding fervently, but Marcus shook his head.</p><p>“No, Mick. You can only be in love with one person.” he said. “You can love people like family but you can only be in love with one person.” he tried to explain, but Mick shook his head. </p><p>“I love Marcus and Callum.” he said firmly. Callum just chuckled softly, touching Mick’s shoulder.</p><p>“We love you too.” he smiled softly, shooting Marcus a look until the man nodded as well. Mick hummed contentedly and settled back on his hands, staring at Callum until the human chuckled and returned to reading him the book. Marcus had meanwhile finished the daisy crown and, although Mick had been skeptical of Marcus picking his flowers, he did like the result. Marcus placed one of them on Callum’s head and then gently placed one on Mick’s head too. </p><p>“You look very pretty.” Marcus smiled, and Mick blushed lightly. </p><p>“You are pretty too.” he murmured, touching the light freckles on Marcus’s cheek. “As are you.” Mick continued softly, a little more shy as he reached out to touch Callum’s jaw, gasping softly as Callum instinctively leaned into the touch.</p><p>They were perfect, Sebastian had been wrong.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>Mick watched as Marcus settled into Callum's side, the younger human throwing an arm and leg over Callum before pushing his face into Callum's shoulder. The nymph let out a soft noise, moving over and gently stroking his fingers over Marcus's nose, feeling the human's warm skin.</p><p>"You can lay down too, if you want. I have two sides." Callum said slowly, making sure Mick could make out all the words. He held out his free arm too, beckoning Callum closer. Mick hummed.</p><p>"Would that be okay?" He said, already struggling less with the pronunciation. He was mostly looking at Marcus, who opened one eye and grinned.</p><p>"Join the cuddle!" He said, reaching for Mick and taking his hand. Mick tensed at the contact and pulled back, unsure what to do.</p><p>"Sorry." Marcus said, looking alarmed as he sat up. "I didn't mean to scare you." He added more softly. Mick sighed. </p><p>"We... my kind... don't do this." Mick murmured. "We don't... <i>cuddle</i>." The word felt strange on his tongue, but also sweet, like the honey the bees gifted him in spring. Marcus had untangled himself from Callum, who was still lounged back against the tree roots. </p><p>"Can I hug you?" Marcus asked. "You can say no but... maybe you would like to try? I understand a proper cuddle might be too much- really Callum wasn't much of a cuddle before me either - and..." Marcus trailed off, shrugging sheepishly. Mick blinked, processing Marcus's words, but then offered the human a small smile.</p><p>"Okay. I'd like to try a hug." He said. He knelt down, waiting for Marcus to approach him. Marcus was careful, sitting close first for a few long seconds before reaching out, wrapping his arms around Mick's torso and resting his head on the nymph's shoulder. Mick hesitantly placed a hand on Marcus's back, right between his shoulder blades, and pressed him closer to his chest.</p><p>"Hugs are nice." Mick murmured, peeking up at Callum. Callum moved closer too, folding himself around the two other men too and Mick sighed contentedly, closing his eyes.</p><p>He felt safe with them.</p><p>“If you don’t hug, what do you do to the people you like?” Callum asked as they parted, Mick letting out a reluctant noise. The nymph hesitated, but then moved closer to the man, taking his hand and placing it on his cheek before placing his hand on Callum’s. he leaned in to rest their foreheads together and closed his eyes, sending Callum all the warm, happy feeling he possessed. </p><p>“Holy shit…” Callum sighed, his breath brushing over Mick’s face. Mick chittered softly, nuzzling their noses together before slowly pulling away. Callum’s eyes fluttered open slowly, and he gave Mick such a tender smile that the nymph shuddered. </p><p>“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Callum murmured softly, promptly leaning in to press a kiss against Mick’s cheek. Mick squeaked but didn’t pull away, instead shyly smiling back.</p><p>“I want to try too!” Marcus whined next to them, before blushing when Mick turned to him. “Only if you want to of course.” he murmured more shyly. Mick chuckled, but nodded firmly, leaning in to touch their foreheads together, before kissing Marcus’s cheek as they parted.</p><p>Sebastian really had to be wrong.</p><p>~~~~~~</p><p>10 days.</p><p>It had been 10 days since Mick had seen Marcus and Callum. The nymph had waited near the path every single day, hoping to see them, but they never came.</p><p>Had he done something wrong? Had he offended them one way or another?</p><p>Mick couldn’t stop going over everything in his head, wondering where he had gone wrong. He had thought Callum and Marcus had cared about him as Mick had cared about them, had thought they understood his occasional strange reactions when he didn’t understand a human phrase or custom.</p><p>But if that was true, why didn’t they come back?</p><p>On that tenth day, Mick made his way over to Sebastian’s lake, having avoided the water nymph the weeks prior as he didn’t want a speech about how he was being foolish. He was okay with getting one now, as long as that meant Sebastian could tell him what to do. </p><p>The nymph was already resting with his arms on the water’s edge when Mick arrived, Sebastian probably having expected him. The older nymph seemed worried, reaching to take Mick’s hand the moment the younger sat down in front of him.</p><p>“What happened, Mick?” Sebastian said. “Why are the trees around the lake dying?” he added, pointing at the oak trees whose leaves were drooping. Mick swallowed thickly, a soft, sad sound leaving his throat.</p><p>“I must have done something wrong.” Mick whispered, shaking his head. “But they will come back, they will give me a chance to apologise-” he rambled. Sebastian fully got out of the water now, his blue eyes widening.</p><p>“What did you do, Mick?” he whispered. Mick whined, swaying slightly as he pressed his palms against his eyes. </p><p>“Callum and Marcus… I-I thought they cared. But they stopped coming here, stopped visiting me and it must have been my fault.” Mick told him.</p><p>“The humans?” Sebastian asked, and Mick nodded. </p><p>“They were here so often, they sought me out and spent time with me and I care so much, Seb.” Mick whimpered. “But I must have done something wrong, they wouldn’t have left if I-” </p><p>“Look at me, Mick.” Sebastian whispered, tilting Mick’s chin up so the young nymph would meet his eye. “Humans seem great, I know, but they are vicious and selfish, I know that first hand.</p><p>“No, Seb, no it can’t be-” Mick cried, the trees around him rustling, more leaves dropping down to the floor. Sebastian took Mick’s face between his hands.</p><p>“Mark said he loved me yet he took my baby away from me.” Sebastian said urgently, having switched to the English Callum and Marcus spoke as well. “Mark said he loved me more than anyone else. I gave him a son and he took my beautiful boy away from me. Humans do not care, they only care about themselves.” Sebastian hissed desperately. Mick sobbed, pushing Sebastian away and scrambling to his feet. </p><p>He could have managed if it had been his fault, if he had driven Marcus and Callum away.</p><p>But he couldn’t bear the thought of Marcus and Callum deceiving him.</p><p>And so Mick ran, navigating his forest easily even though tears blurred his vision. His chest felt tight, like something was wrong and Mick could see that mirrored in the way the forest was browning around him. He hid away in the farthest corner of the forest, curling up in the hollow space between the roots of a tree that was older than he was, taking comfort in the old friend’s presence. Mick still cried, his chest heaving and he felt the tree sway ever so slightly above him.</p><p>Whether it was out of comfort or because the tree was dying Mick did not know.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how long he laid there, on his side with his knees close to his chest as he grieved, his tears sinking into the soil under him, from which tiny, teardrop shaped flowers grew.</p><p>Mick’s heart was broken and with that the forest was too. </p><p>A night had passed by the time Mick heard voices nearing him. He moaned curling his hand into a fist and trying to force the tree to close his roots around him. But he was too weak, he couldn’t do it. </p><p>“Mick!” a gasp made Mick open his eyes, the nymph watching as Marcus reached for him, pulling him out of the dip between the roots. Mick shivered, trying to push him away, but then Callum was there too, wrapping something soft around him as they both hugged him close. </p><p>Mick only cried more, his head lolling back.</p><p>“We’re sorry, we’re sorry!” Callum whispered, and Mick realised he was crying as well. “I failed an exam and my father didn’t allow me to use the car anymore. I wasn’t allowed to leave home and Marcus… Marcus doesn’t have a license.” he tried to explain. There were a lot of words Mick was too tired to understand, and all he could think about was how humans had deceived Sebastian too, how humans had taken away Seb’s son.</p><p>“Leave…” Mick rasped, weakly pushing at Marcus’s chest. The small human shook his head desperately, forcing his forehead against Mick’s.</p><p>“I-I… <i>We</i> love you, Mick.” Marcus whimpered. “I know I said we could only love one person but I was wrong.” Mick closed his eyes, turning away. </p><p>“I don’t believe you.” he whispered. Callum moved closer too, crowding around Mick too and frantically pulling him close, pushing their lips together. Mick whined into the kiss, tensing up but stopping his struggling.</p><p>“We love you.” Callum whispered, back of his hand lightly brushing over the side of Mick’s face. “I’m so sorry we weren’t here for you.” he added. Mick sniffled, wrapping his arms around both humans and holding them close. </p><p>“I love you too.” he whispered.</p><p>And around them, the forest healed.</p><p>“How did you find me?” Mick asked a little while later, laying curled up against Callum’s side with Marcus opposite him. Marcus was trailing his fingers over Mick’s features, pressing soft kisses to his skin occasionally to make Mick smile.</p><p>“A water nymph found us. My dad took us here after I explained to him that I had to see you, and when we arrived Sebastian was waiting for us and led us to you.” Callum explained. Mick looked up curiously.</p><p>“Sebastian sought you out? He isn’t exactly fond of humans.” Mick murmured. Marcus shrugged,</p><p>“In that case he is just really, really fond of you.” he smiled, booping his finger to Mick’s nose. Mick got up, looking around, knowing the nymph had to be close.</p><p>“Seb?” he asked. He heard some rummaging and the water nymph walked out from between the trees, smiling softly. He was uncomfortable outside of the water, as always, but seemed to manage. Mick felt a surge of affection for his friend and rushed over to him</p><p>“I’m so glad you are okay.” the older nymph sighed as Mick leaned in to press their foreheads together.</p><p>“Thank you for helping. I know how much you loathe humans…” Mick whispered. Sebastian sighed.</p><p>“Maybe you were right. Maybe not all of them are bad…” he murmured in answer, smiling down on Callum and Marcus, who were still sitting on the floor. Mick smiled and bumped his nose against Seb’s cheek, thanking him silently.</p><p>“Uhm mister water nymph?” Callum said after a moment, getting up too and pulling Marcus along with him. </p><p>“Call me Sebastian, please.” Seb interrupted gently, letting out a soft hum as he watched Mick cuddle back in between his two humans. Callum swallowed thickly, not seeming to trust the water nymph, but then spoke.</p><p>“Sebastian… where is my dad?” he asked. Sebastian’s face soured a bit more, but then he beckoned someone closer from between the trees. A tall blond man came up behind Seb, his neat suit soaked with water, making him shiver in the cool air.</p><p>“What happened, papa?” Callum huffed instantly. Sebastian smiled lightly.</p><p>“Jenson said my lake was green. It’s not.” he said. “He had to inspect it from up close before he changed his mind.” The water nymph seemed amused, and oddly relaxed around the other human, which made Mick frown lightly. Callum’s dad, Jenson, rolled his eyes but was smiling too. The man turned towards Mick, offering him a wink and a nod.</p><p>“You must be Mick. Callum told me a lot about you.” Jenson nodded. “I’m sorry about what happened, I fear I played a large part in it.” he added more softly, exchanging a look with his son.</p><p>“It’s okay.” Mick said softly, but he stepped back to hide behind Callum and Marcus. Callum smiled, wrapping an arm around Mick’s shoulders in support.</p><p>“He is annoying and strict, but he won’t ever hurt you.” Callum assured Mick, kissing the nymph's temple.</p><p>“Excuse me young man, I am not annoying!” Jenson bustled at his son. Marcus grinned now too.</p><p>“Only occasionally, mister B.” he said cheekily. Jenson faked a glare, turning to Seb with an exasperated smile.</p><p>“Kids, am I right? At least your Mick is well behaved.” he chuckled. Sebastian tensed up.</p><p>“Mick is not my…” he trailed off, his blue eyes wide. Mick chittered worriedly, moving over and touching Seb’s hand. </p><p>“Seb…” he tried. Sebastian lowered his eyes, taking a deep breath.</p><p>“I do have a son, as I told you earlier.” he told Jenson softly. “But my… ex-partner took him away when he was just 3 years old. I haven’t seen him since.” he murmured. Mick let out a soft noise, dropping his head to Sebastian’s shoulder. </p><p>“Seb…” he tried again. Sebastian gently stroked his hair, shushing him before speaking again.</p><p>“It’s why I didn’t trust Callum and Marcus, why I told Mick all the wrong things when I should have told him to be patient.” Sebastian sighed. Mick chittered gently. </p><p>“Everything turned out okay,” he answered. Marcus swallowed thickly, before stepping forward and taking Sebastian’s hand in his. The water nymph eyed him curiously, but did not retract his hand.</p><p>“What is your son’s name?” Marcus asked softly. Callum opened his mouth to speak, trying to pull Marcus back while Mick tried to chastise the young human too. But then Sebastian held up his free hand, silencing them all.</p><p>“His name is Charles, Marcus.” the nymph answered softly. Even Mick had never heard the child’s name before. “He should be around your age now.” Sebastian added, softly touching Marcus’s cheek. Marcus’s face turned determined, exchanging a look with Mick and Callum, who sighed but then both smiled.</p><p>“We’ll help you find him.” Marcus said. “We promise.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed it! Kuddos and Comments are the fuel to my writing!</p><p>Find me on tumblr: bwoahtastic</p></blockquote></div></div>
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